Missing
by WrathWings
Summary: His brother is screaming for him. Two parts!
1. Chapter 1

Stefan realizes that Damon's gone even before he opens his eyes. He sits up, lets the silk sheets fall away from as he rises from the bed and runs to Damon's room. A chill settles along his spine as he enters his brother's room; there is nothing out of place, but something is missing and Stefan needs to find him **now. **

He ransacks the room, tossing aside books and tearing the sheets from the bed; by the time he's through, it looks like a madman had destroyed it, but there's no trace of Damon, no hint as to where he's gone, and Stefan falls to his knees with Damon's sheets pressed to his nose.

***

"Elena." Stefan approaches her outside of school with only a frown.

"Stefan, what's wrong?" She immediately thinks that Damon's done something again and she reaches forward to comfort him, but Stefan pulls back.

"Have you seen Damon?" He's not looking at her; his eyes are scanning the crowd and he's desperately trying to catch his brother's scent on the wind.

"No. Haven't you?" Elena touches the necklace almost subconsciously. "Is Damon missing?"

"I haven't seen him since yesterday morning." He's angry now; he's supposed to be keeping an eye on him and now Damon's **missing **and he has no idea where he is.

"Stefan, he probably just left-" But Stefan's not listening to her.

"Damon wouldn't just leave, not after all the trouble he's gone through." He inhales, shuddering. "I can't find him, Elena; who knows what's happened to him." Stefan leaves abruptly, going to search for Damon, leaving Elena standing there.

***

He spends the day searching every inch of the city and the surrounding forests, but there is no sign of Damon. Stefan goes home and feeds before settling back into the empty room. The scent of his brother is a shallow comfort but one he must afford himself now.

It's midnight and he is curled in Damon's bed, the sheet abandoned on his waist. That's when he hears it.

His brother is screaming for him.

Stefan leaps from the bed and out the window in seconds; he follows the sound of his name through the woods, but then, it stops. It just ends as though his brother has no more strength to call for him.

"DAMON!" He shouts for him, but he hears no answering call and he screams in frustration.

Stefan inhales, trying to find his brother that way, but there's nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

"There's someone holding Damon prisoner? Stefan, that's impossible." Elena shakes her head, her hands lying alone on the table even though she's reached for his multiple times.

"I did, didn't I? It's not impossible. Not if they know about the vervain." Damon's been missing two days now and Stefan is growing angrier. Whoever has him. . .

"Stefan-"

_"Stefan. . ." _

The first is Elena; Stefan knows that, but then he hears Damon's voice beneath hers. It's barely a whisper even for a vampire's hearing, but it's there and Stefan's ignoring Elena now. He's walking away, trying to find where his brother's voice is coming from, and beneath all the human chattering, Damon's voice is growing weaker.

Stefan picks up the pace, trying but failing to not push through the crowd; his eyes fall on Sheriff Forbes speeding away in her car. She knows about the vervain.

With only a breath and a gust of wind, he's in her back seat.

"Take me to Damon." She almost crashes the car in her shock, but she recovers quickly.

"What the-" He leans closer and he lets his true face show in the rear view mirror.

"That wasn't a suggestion." Stefan feels her will lessening and then she obeys mindlessly, driving them further and further from the town; in his ear, he can hear Damon's whispers growing louder.

She finally stops the car outside an abandoned mine an hour and a half from the town; he commands her to stay in the car and then, he's in the mine. There are other people there; they shout when they see him and without a thought, he tosses them aside, not caring if they snap their necks against the mine wall.

Now he doesn't need to concentrate to hear Damon's voice; his brother is close and then he's there. He's locked in a cage and he's starved, but he's there and he's smiling at Stefan.

"What took you so long?" Damon tries to laugh, but it comes out in a strangled cough; Stefan throws the guards like rag dolls and opens the cell door with one hand.

He cradles his brother close and smells the vervain wafting from him. "I can't believe I fell for that trick again." Damon's hand is curled in his shirt and Stefan is relieved.

"We're going home. Now." Stefan picks him and the relief is replaced with righteous fury when he feels how light his brother is.

"Wait." Stefan stops and realizes where Damon's gaze is focused.

"No. They have vervain in their system." He feels Damon pout against his chest. "You can feed when we get home."

***

When they finally do get home(courtesy of Sheriff Forbes, whose mind was promptly erased), Stefan takes Damon up to his room.

"Have fun while I was gone?" He had forgotten about the mess he'd made.

"I'll clean it up." Stefan deposits him on the bed, but when he goes to leave, Damon's hand catches his.

"It can wait." Damon pulls him onto the bed and curls into his side.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner." Stefan offers him a cup of blood, but his brother shakes his head.

"I knew you'd find me." Damon's lips brush against his throat and Stefan nods; fangs sink into his flesh and he sighs, wrapping his arms around his brother's back.

"What did they want?" He slips a hand under Damon's shirt and Damon, sated, draws away to answer him.

"They wanted to know how many other vampires were in town. I told them it was just me." Damon's smile is blinding and, desperate to escape it, Stefan kisses him.

He tastes his blood on his brother's lips and there's a trace of him on Damon's tongue when he feels those lips part for him; Stefan begins to pull at Damon's shirt, but stops; he gently pushes Damon away and the other vampire looks up at him innocently.

"Why'd you stop?" Damon's hand is trailing down his chest, tugging slightly at the buttons that keep them apart.

"Tomorrow, Damon." Stefan lays the sheets over them and

pulls his brother to him.

With a huff, Damon allows himself to be manhandled and examines the room once again.

"Miss me much?"

"Shut up Damon."

In the dark, they both pretend they can't see the other one smile.


End file.
